Leader

Jul 13 2012

Are you leading or manipulating?

Most of us agree – leadership is influence. And there are times when influence morphs into down-right-out manipulation.

At it’s core leadership involves change. After all, what are we leading people to do? To be? Yet there’s a fine line between leadership and manipulation.

Both involve influencing others. Both attempt to persuade people to do what you want them to do. And both leverage vision, passion, and emotion to elicit a desired result.

So how do you know if you are leading or manipulating?

Jul 02 2012

What does longevity have to do with leadership?

Longevity is not leadership. Leadership is leadership. And longevity is longevity.

Don’t get me wrong – I love hearing about leaders who launch organizations and serve them for 20, 30, or 40 years. But does tenure make great leaders?

One of my best friends is one of the most loyal people I know. He will likely serve his current organization for the rest of his life. I have learned much about consistency and contentment through our friendship.

My father has been serving the same organization for more than 25 years.

Organizations and teams can benefit significantly from a leader who communicates and implements bold, compelling vision through changing seasons over a long period of time. And Sarah and I are looking forward to investing the most fulfilling and productive years of our lives in a long-term role within an organization.

Yet I’ve learned that although some executives man the helm of an organization for a long period of time, they are not always leading.

Jun 18 2012

Give the Benefit of the Doubt

They never came to you – they just believed what they were told. There was more to the story – much more. Not just your side, but the truth.

If only they had asked you.

It’s happened to me, too. My motives have been questioned many times. In some instances, I was aware of the questions. But many times I was not – because they never came to me. Grace was not extended – the same grace desired by every person in the world when wrongly accused.

Jun 04 2012

If you’re not mentoring you’re not leading

You are not leading if you are not mentoring and developing new leaders. Simply developing followers who flesh out your ideas and implement your vision won’t cut it.

Having followers is not the defining characteristic of leadership. At its very core, leadership facilitates change. After all, if you are not leading people and teams toward change, what are you leading them to do? To be?

Change is not easy. It’s difficult – not for the faint of heart. And developing people – new leaders – adds more complexity to the mix.

To develop new leaders, you must be willing to invest in people – to mentor them. And mentoring will require more of your time and your resources than you ever thought possible.

May 23 2012

Great leaders serve

I was recently reminded of an experience with an executive of a large organization who was faced with a challenging decision – a decision that eventually cost the organization a lot of money.

This post is part of the series – What Ever Happened to Personal Responsibility?
Would You Return to Your Organization?
If You’re Not Growing, You’re Dying…Really?
Leaders are the Most Creative People on the Planet
Great Leaders Serve
Is Fear Taking Over?

During discussions about the decision the executive made this revealing off-the-cuff statement – My goal is to survive a presidency.

These few words uttered in a moment of vulnerability informed the entire group that he was most interested in self-preservation.